CONTROL Resonant is leaving the Oldest House behind, but it is not leaving the weirdness there. In a hands-on report published Friday, PlayStation Blog contributor Corey Brotherson describes a warped Manhattan full of airborne shortcuts, disturbing enemies and small personal stories. The game launches September 24, with Dylan Faden taking the lead from his sister Jesse.
The change of setting sounds enormous. Dylan can double-jump, rise to lower rooftops, dash in midair and eventually gain a grappling ability through missions tied to Jesse. Streets and buildings fold across each other in ways that make an ordinary walk across New York impossible. Yet Brotherson says the game is not a conventional open world: its city is divided into focused areas with their own objectives.
The city gives Dylan more room to move
That structure matters because Dylan does not fight like Jesse. Brotherson describes him as awkward and hesitant in conversation, a man shaped by years of confinement, but much more agile once danger arrives. The movement abilities are part of how he survives rather than a decorative way to cross the map. One moment may be a rooftop route; the next, a street where the surroundings have become cover against the Hiss.
The report also singles out smaller missions that show another side of Dylan. In one optional task, he collects inanimate cats and arranges them into a picnic scene based on a childhood memory. It is an odd little idea for a horror-tinged action game, and exactly the kind of detail that can keep a larger sequel from feeling like an endless chain of fights.
Close combat has more choices than the trailer suggests
Dylan’s shape-changing Aberrant weapon pushes him closer to enemies. Brotherson says its primary and secondary forms can be modified with effects such as burn or infect, while other abilities include a shield, projectiles and an ally assembled from nearby junk. Melee attacks restore the power used by those abilities. The result, at least in this account, is a rhythm of dodging, striking and deciding when to spend power.
The frightening set pieces have not been replaced by a bigger map. One boss described in the hands-on takes the form of a giant porcelain doll face that attacks with taxis and girders. Brotherson also encountered another major confrontation that did not play out like a standard boss fight. We will leave that one unspoiled.
Remedy says the main story should take roughly 25 to 35 hours, with more for players who pursue everything. That estimate is a studio projection, not our playtime. This is PlayStation Blog’s hands-on, not a Pixel Twelve review. What it does make clear is the sequel’s pitch: a larger world, a more physical hero and plenty of room for Remedy’s particular brand of unease.
